Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder
by Guardian Hawk
Summary: It's a normal day for Link and Zelda until an uninvited guest drops in from nowhere. Who is he? Where is he from? and most importantly, Why is he there? ZELINK? ZeldaxOC? Who knows...
1. Chapter 1: Unexpected Arrival

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 1**

It was the middle of the afternoon when it happened. The day started out the same as most. Princess Zelda had spent the morning meeting with the advisors of her royal court. Most of the subjects brought up by her advisors were trivial matters that didn't really demand her attention. There were a couple that had her slightly worried. One of which concerned Ganondorf's imprisonment. He had been arrested and thrown to the dungeons by her father after discovering he had tried to bring the practice of black magic back to Hyrule. There was worry that the chance of him escaping would arise after Zelda's father had passed away. Despite constant reassurances the prison was impossible to escape from, the topic was brought up daily. The other thing that concerned Zelda was the matter of her suitors. As per tradition, Zelda could only assume the throne as Queen of Hyrule only after she had married.

Princess Zelda was a beautiful girl, just past the age of nineteen. Her complexion was a soft, smooth white much like the pale moonlight. Her eyes were a deep blue, resembling sapphires glistening in the sunlight. Her hair was past shoulder length, shining a bright golden brown that was braided in the traditional style. The dress she wore was a typical royal garment. A mixture of purple and pink which complimented her slim figure perfectly. In no way flawed, yet a constant bother for her. Most of Princess Zelda's suitors were after her for her status and her beauty. None of them cared about the intelligence or wisdom she had carried with her through her life in the castle.

Despite these worries, Princess Zelda did not let these things ruin her outlook on life. Shortly after eating lunch, she decided to take the afternoon for herself. The morning had started out sunny with no clouds. As the day progressed, clouds had moved in from the south, bringing with it the threat of rain. Taking the dimming sunlight and cooler temperature in mind, Zelda decided to sit in her gardens before the rain started. Despite the frustrations of life in court, there was one thing that she was happy for.

Even though her contact with the land outside of the castle was limited, she still had a friend.

Through the years since she was a little girl, she's held a friend since that fateful day they met. A young boy about her age, clad in a green tunic and a look of determination on his face. With ragged blonde hair and blue eyes much like her own, his look was young, but his stance reflected a lifetime of experience and battles no man should ever have seen. Upon their first meeting, he recanted a tale of vast proportions involving himself, her, and Ganondorf. Her initial fears of the Gerudo came to full circle as he explained how he went along with her plan to beat him to the Triforce. As well as how it backfired and created all types of hell and chaos that he had to deal with. After hearing his tale, Zelda quickly warmed up to him and ever since then, they have been friends. They usually met by the fountain in the royal garden where she waited now for her friend to arrive.

She was not disappointed.

After roughly ten minutes of waiting, Zelda could hear the tell-tale thumping of his leather boots hitting the ground. One of the things that normally slowed him down was sneaking past the guards. He rarely got caught, yet even when he did, he was out and about within a matter of hours. Upon looking in the direction of the sound, Zelda was greeted by the sight of her friend. Despite aging, he still wore the same green tunic that he wore when he was younger. It was lengthened to accommodate his growth, but remained relatively unchanged. He walked over to her and took a seat next to her on the edge of the fountain. Placing his sword and shield on the ground next to him, his back flooded with pleasant relief as he looked over at the Princess and smiled.

Zelda returned the smile as she asked, "What took you so long, Link?" He shrugged his shoulders before replying, "The guards have doubled their patrols, so I had to take the long way around." Zelda laughed a little at his reply. "I was worried it would start to rain before you arrived." Looking up at the sky as she finished her sentence, she saw a flash of light above them. Link chuckled as he said, "I'll keep that in mind in the future." Zelda smiled, looking up again to see if it had started to rain.

That was when she saw it.

As she looked into the sky, she noticed something above them. It wasn't a bird, she knew that much. Pointing her finger upwards towards it, Zelda asked, "Link, what does that look like to you?" He looked up and tried to see what she was pointing at, but couldn't make it out. "I don't know, but I think we should move...now!" Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up and over to a nearby rose bush.

Feeling the wind rushing past him, he awoke with a start. Looking around, he quickly realized he was falling. He took notice of a castle below him, as well as a garden full of all types of flora and fauna. By the fountain, he saw several bushes and trees. Figuring his best chance of survival, he opened his coat and guided himself towards a large oak tree. As he drew closer, he lined himself up with the oak tree and slowed his descent using his coat as a make-shift parachute, but not slow enough. He closed his eyes as he made contact with the tree and began falling through it. Breaking some branches and bouncing off others, he shouted and grunted in pain with each hit until he finally hit the ground. He remained face down in the grass as his hat drifted down and gently landed next to him.

Link and Zelda just looked on in surprise at their newly arrived guest lying face down in front of them. He was slightly taller than Link, yet had a slimmer build. He had a complexion much like Links, but more weathered. He looked older than the two, but not by much. His dark brown hair was covered in leaves and blood, which ran down his face. He was wearing a large leather surcoat covered with all types of patterns embroidered into it. On the back of the caplet attached to the coat was an embroidered dragon's head. The hat next to him was a large wide brimmed hat that was flat around the entire brim with a leather belt around the center that split into two directions in the back. Both the hat and surcoat were black as night, but the wearer was a tanned white.

Link and Zelda stepped closer to get a better look at him. Zelda looked at his face while Link flipped him over. Inside the surcoat, he was wearing a dark blue shirt with a wolf on it, as well as a pair of black pants and black embroidered boots. Around his waist was a belt which held two swords on his left side. The blades were thin with a slight curve, and both had black bound hilts. One blade was shorter than the other, but upon pulling them out slightly, both had a symbol engraved by the hilt. A wolf's head on top of a pair of crossed swords, similar to the ones he was looking at. Link pulled out the shorter blade and asked Zelda, "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Zelda looked at the sword carefully before responding, "I can't say I have. The symbol by the hilt seems like an identifying mark of some kind. Of what, I don't know." Link placed the sword back into its scabbard as Zelda said, "We'll need to get him inside, that fall did some damage." "You can say that again..." Both Zelda and Link jumped as the stranger responded. As they backed up, he put both hands on the ground and pushed himself up.


	2. Chapter 2: Questions but few answers

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 2**

Link leapt over to his sword and shield while the stranger forced himself to his knees. By the time he'd gotten to his knees, Link held his sword ready. Zelda placed a hand on Links shoulder calmly. Upon feeling her touch, Link lowered his sword, but eyed the stranger warily. From his experiences with the temples of the sages, he'd learned to never judge something as harmless at first sight. Placing his hands on his knees, panting from exhaustion and pain, he looked up at the two. It took a few moments for his vision to focus and clear, once it had, he immediately noticed Links sword.

He looked at Link and commented, "Do I look like I'm in any condition to put up a fight?" Link continued to eye him suspiciously as Zelda stepped forward, kneeled down, and asked, "Are you alright?" The stranger grabbed his hat and said, "Barely, but I've had worse." As he blinked, he felt something drip from his forehead over his eyelid. He wiped his forehead with the back of his left hand. Upon looking at his hand, he realizes he's bleeding from the blood on his hand. "Great, as if I don't have enough problems..." Zelda motioned Link to come closer as she grabbed his right arm. "There's a doctor inside, he can help you." As he rose to his feet, he clenched his jaw to keep from yelling out in pain. Once he was up, he said, "I can walk..." No sooner had he said this, his left leg gave out, forcing Link to hold him up. Groaning lightly in pain, he quickly finished, "...Then again, I can be wrong." Placing an arm around each of them, the three began to walk inside the castle towards the hospital wing.

As they entered the castle, Zelda looked over at the stranger and asked, "What is your name?" The stranger clenched his teeth, wincing in pain from each step before responding, "Hawk." Zelda smiled and said, "I'm Princess Zelda, I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I don't particularly like seeing others in pain." Both Link and Hawk chuckled at the comment, and then looked at each other. Link then introduced himself, "My name is Link, I apologize about earlier, but I didn't know what your intentions were. Past experience has taught me never assume everything you see is completely harmless." Hawk couldn't help but smile as he said, "That's nothing compared to what I got back home." This comment caused both Link and Zelda to raise their eyebrows in surprise. Before either one could say anything, Hawk quickly said, "It's a rather long story that I have no wish to recite at the moment."

As they continued down a stairwell, Link decided to ask, "Those swords at your side, where did you...actually, what kind of swords are they? Neither myself nor Zelda have seen anything like them before." Hawk simply scoffed and said, "I take it you don't do much traveling?" Link quickly retorted, "I've done my fair share of traveling. The closest thing I've seen to those blades are the scimitars the Gerudos use. Those are at least triple the size of those blades though." Hawk smirked, wincing in pain again before saying, "Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better."

Zelda smiled at the statement since both she and Link knew there was more truth to that than Hawk knew. Hawk spent the remainder of the trip cursing at himself silently due to the amount of pain he was in. As the trio transited through the halls, they were careful to avoid any guards. Both Link and Hawk would be thrown to the dungeons on sight were they to be caught. Link wouldn't be able to do anything since he was holding Hawk up, and in his current state, Hawk wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight anyway. After some careful navigation, and a couple close calls, they finally arrived in the hospital wing and eased Hawk onto the nearest bed. Zelda left quickly to find the doctor while Link started to clean up some of Hawks wounds.

Hawk eyed him and said, "You might want to leave. In case the Princess comes back with more than just the doctor. It won't do you much good if you get caught here along with me." Link scoffed as he helped Hawk pull his surcoat off and set it on the stand next to him. "I've dealt with much worse than a few castle guards. I'll be fine; you should be more worried about yourself. You're the one covered in his own blood." Hawk simply shook his head while he pulled his shirt off and tossed it on top of his surcoat. His chest and back were covered in bruises and cuts that slowly trickled blood down his body. Link grabbed a couple of rags, handing one to Hawk, and started wiping the blood off.

As Link was cleaning his left arm, he noticed the same wolf head emblem that he saw on his swords earlier tattooed onto his arm. He silently took this to mind as he moved over to his right arm, where he something that caught him by surprise. The crest of the royal family of Hyrule was tattooed onto his right arm. As Link looked closer, Zelda had returned with the castle doctor and a couple of servants. Link moved to the side, tossing the rag on the floor, and joined Zelda as the doctor began his examination of Hawk.

Link took Zelda over to the side so they were out of earshot of Hawk and the royal staff. Zelda looked at him with worry and asked, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Link looked at her and said, "I don't know, while I was helping him wipe off all the blood, I noticed a couple of things." Hawk cut him off as he yelled at one of the servants, "You damage or lose any of that, I swear to you that not even death will save you from my wrath, am I clear?" The servant nervously nodded as he took his clothes and coat to be cleaned. Link continued, "He has a couple of tattoos, one on each arm. His left arm had that wolf emblem that we saw earlier. While on his right..." He was cut off by Hawk shouting in pain, causing both of them to look over at him as he growled, "Take it easy, will you? That actually hurts, believe it or not." The doctor made an incoherent argument as the pair looked back at each other. Link finished, "...while on his right arm, he has the crest of the royal family." Zelda's eyes widened a bit as she looked back over at Hawk. At this point, the doctor was bandaging his head while another servant was wrapping his torso. Zelda thought for a moment before saying, "I have a few questions to ask Mr. Hawk that need answers."

The two waited for another half an hour before the doctor was finally done. Hawk remained sitting up on the side of his bed, while the doctor walked towards them. "He is pretty badly bruised. Some of his wounds are fresh, while others are older and had been reopened. As long as he stays in bed, he'll be fine in a few days, your highness." Zelda thanked him and proceeded with Link over to Hawks bedside. He was working his fingers, making sure he still had circulation when both Link and Zelda sat down in front of him.

Link picked up one of his swords, which had been removed and placed to the side, and began to examine it. Hawk watched him as Zelda began, "As I'm sure you can guess, we'd like to ask you a few questions. Would that be alright?" Hawk looked at her, smiled a bit and said, "Of course, your highness. I'm sure you have a lot of questions." As he finished, a clap of thunder rolled through the skies and it began to rain. Hawk closed his eyes and smiled to himself as he listened to the sound of the rain storm. Link stood up and started to move towards the window when Hawk quickly said, "Please leave it open, it's been some time since I've listened to a thunderstorm." Link looked at him, and then at Zelda, who nodded lightly towards him. Link nodded back and returned to his seat and to examining his sword. Zelda continued, "Please, call me Zelda, this isn't a formal inquiry." Hawk smiled as he waited for the questions he knew were coming. Zelda then looked at Link briefly before going on. "Well, the first question I guess would be..." "I don't know how I got here. I was minding my business at home, getting ready to go meet a few friends of mine when I tripped. Next thing I know, I'm falling through the sky heading who knows where. You know the rest from there." Both Zelda and Link looked at him in complete surprise before continuing, "Ok, where..." Hawk cut in again, "A place of much more...modern tastes than here. I will leave it at that." Zelda blinked in surprise before asking, "Are you..." "No, I'm not telepathic, just figuring which questions are the most obvious." Hawk stated, cutting her off once again.

Link pulled the sword out of its polished black scabbard and looked at it while he held it in his hand. Taking note of the weight, he was curious as to what the blade could do. Zelda cleared her throat a bit before moving on. "Alright, I couldn't help but notice the tattoos you have on your arms. The one on your right arm is what has me curious. How did you get the crest of the royal family tattooed onto your arm?" Hawk chuckled before responding, "Where I'm from, it's easy to get a tattoo. This crest is actually from a video game, one that I enjoyed with several friends of mine. Thus, why I got it. To remind me of simpler times in my life." Zelda furrowed her brow before asking, "What is a video game?" Hawk laughed a bit before he said, "Don't worry about it, you're better off not knowing."

Zelda looked at him strangely before Link chimed in, "What kind of swords are these?" Hawk looked at him and said, "They're Japanese. The larger one you're holding is called a Katana. The shorter is called a Wakizashi. Those swords were often carried by Samurai warlords before their fall a couple hundred years ago. The blade itself is made of high carbon steel, folded over itself one hundred times during the forging process. That makes the blade much stronger, yet lighter than most other swords." Link whistled lightly as he held the sword. Zelda smiled at him before looking back to Hawk. "The doctor was telling us about your wounds from your fall..." "...and you're wondering where some of the older wounds came from, right?" She nodded lightly, worry overtaking her facial expression. Link placed the Katana back inside of its scabbard before Hawk responded, "I would prefer not to talk about it, if it's alright with you. All I'll say is that I'm surprised I'm still alive, despite everything I've been through." Zelda looked at him, worried by what he meant by that statement. Before Link could ask what he meant, a clap of thunder rolled out once again. Zelda and Link turned in surprise, but Hawk remained unaffected, enjoying the sound he missed so much. Upon looking back to him, Hawk said, "As much as I'm sure you enjoy my company, I think it would be better if you two went about your day. After all, I'm sure someone as important as yourself has more important matters to deal with, Pri...I mean, Zelda."

No sooner had he finished his sentence, Zelda's chief advisor, Hamilton Barston, entered the room. Chief advisor Barston was an older man, in his early fifties. He was roughly Link's height, but not in as good of shape. The age that showed on his face was only reflected by the silver hair that he kept combed back. He quickly walked over to the trio, saying, "There you are, your highness. When you never arrived for the afternoon council meeting, many of the council members were worried." Zelda placed on her formal expression before responding, "Of course, I'll be there momentarily. In the meantime, Sir Hawk will be staying here for the next few days. Please ensure that his needs are attended to during his stay." Chief advisor Barston bowed politely to her before taking his leave, not even acknowledging the two men standing less than a few feet from her. Zelda looked back at the two before saying, "I apologize about that." Hawk lifted his hand, curtly saying, "No need to apologize, I already knew that was bound to happen. I'll be perfectly fine, so long as my clothes and coat come back in one piece. Zelda smiled and said, "They'll be returned to you once they're clean, I promise." With that, Zelda bowed to the two men. Link returned the bow while Hawk bowed his head lightly.

Zelda then left the room, leaving Link and Hawk alone. Hawk looked at Link and thought, _"How is it you're around her so much, and yet only see her as a friend..."_ Link broke the silence and asked, ""How good are you with those swords?" Hawk shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I'm alright, not perfect, but I can hold my own." Link looked at the swords, then asked, "So, where's your shield?" Hawk smirked a bit before answering him. "I prefer the twin blades as opposed to using a sword and shield, much more challenging, but also much more rewarding." Link nodded lightly as he looked back outside. Hawk then said, "Looks like that's going to last a while. Judging by how you were dodging guards earlier, I would suggest being careful if you're going to stay." Link stood up and said, "I'm not, I've got a few errands to run. I'll be back later." Hawk nodded as Link walked out of the room, leaving him alone.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to read this spontaneous idea I had not too long ago. I have already written several chapters, but I am taking my time uploading them mainly due to the fact that I do not know how well this story is being enjoyed. I am aware of one author who is enjoying it so far, but sadly I have received neither messages nor reviews from others who may have read this. I am asking, if you do read this story, please by all means, leave a review. Any and all criticism is welcome, be it good or bad. I am simply trying to forge this tale into one that can be enjoyed by more than just myself. So, by all means, if you have any ideas for which way the story should go, or anything you have questions about, or would like to point out any errors. Please leave a message or a review so I can be able to do more with this story than what I've done so far. Also, the character's name was the inspiration from my user name here. I've had him thought up for a long time now, but never had anywhere to put him until now. So, the character did come before my user name, in case you were curious.**_

_**TriforceandShiekahArts: I greatly appreciate that you have taken the time to read the first chapter of my tale. I am thrilled that you found everything in its rightful place and nothing was wrong. If you spot anything, or have any ideas, please let me know.**_

_**Until next time, I bid you good evening.**_

_**Guardian Hawk**_


	3. Chapter 3: Investigations of their own

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 3**

Once he was alone, Hawk looked down at himself and took note of his injuries. Nothing broken, surprisingly, however his mobility was extremely limited due to the bandaging and bruising. This setback would mean he has no choice but to stay in the castle until he fully recovered; which wasn't a bad thing from what he had seen thus far. Looking over at the window and listening to the rain, he thought about the moments prior to his untimely arrival. He was getting ready to head out to meet a few friends of his to spend time with them. As he reached the door leaving his home, he remembered that he forgot to grab his wallet. He spun around quickly and tripped over his own feet. As he fell he placed his arms laterally to transfer the impact of the fall to his forearms. The impact he expected never came, but instead he was enveloped by a blinding light. The light forced his eyes closed in reaction and when he opened them again, he found himself falling through the sky. Hawk figured one of two things happened. One, he hit the floor harder than he was expecting and knocked himself out, and his mind created this reality to keep itself working. The other...something extremely strange was happening well beyond his understanding. He really hoped to himself that it wasn't the latter of the two.

As he made his way back into castle town, Link decided that he needed to get some well-deserved rest. As well as think about the mysterious Hawk, and what he can ask him about the next time he saw him. He walked over to the stables at the edge of castle town and picked up Epona from their care. Once he mounted Epona, Link rode out into Hyrule field, letting the cool air whisk past him while the rain continued at a steady rate. As he rode on, Link thought, _'Hawk may seem straight forward, but he's also hiding a lot. What is he hiding, and why doesn't he want either me or Zelda to know? Well, if I found myself in his position, I'd probably be wary of us too. I guess only time will tell I suppose.' _With that, he decided he would spend the night in his old house in Kokiri Forest and talk to Saria about Hawk later.

Upon entering the court, the council of advisors stood and bowed in respect to her arrival. Zelda took her place on the throne before saying, "Please excuse my tardiness and let us move on with this session." Everyone took their respective seats while chief advisor Barston said, "Our first order of business will be to establish trade routes with the other races around Hyrule." As the advisors began debating amongst themselves, Zelda allowed herself to get lost in thought. _'What could have caused some of those wounds that Hawk had? He smiled a lot, but his eyes told of an immeasurable amount of pain. How deep does it go? Maybe the Goddess' brought him here to heal his pain, or maybe because something is going to happen and we'll need his help. Goddess' this is confusing. Well, I guess the only way to find out is to keep talking to him. With any luck, he'll still be awake by the time I'm done here.' _Zelda continued to let her thoughts wander while keeping an ear on the meeting.

As he arrived at the entrance to Kokiri Forest, Epona stopped short of the entrance. Link, knowing that she wouldn't move any further, dismounted Epona. After taking his bag, he said to her, "Go on back to Lon Lon Ranch, I'll call if I need you." Epona whinnied a bit before galloping off to the north. Link smiled as he entered into the forest, where he had grown up. As he traversed through the forest, the rain was nowhere to be seen. One of the enchantments on the forest was the outside weather had no effect on the forest interior. Upon entering the village, Link was instantly greeted by dozens of young Kokiri's. He knew every face that greeted him, having spent most of his childhood among them. Once he got past the anxious children, he headed towards his old house, hoping to run into Saria along the way. While walking through the village, Link allowed himself to reminisce in his memories. The sights of the children playing with their fairies and each other; the smell of fresh pine; the sound of the wind brushing through the trees. Nothing had changed since he was a child. Before he knew it, he found himself at the base of his old tree house. He stopped and stared at the entrance, remembering how his adventure had begun with the arrival of his fairy friend, Navi. His concentration was broken by the sound of a young female voice.

"When were you planning on telling me you were going to visit us, Link?"

He turned around and smiled as he was greeted by the sight of his childhood friend, Saria. She hadn't aged a day since he left the first time. She was still a child, with green hair that reached and curled around her neck. Link chuckled and said, "Sorry, it was kind of short notice. I actually wanted to talk to you about something that happened a few hours ago." Saria looked at him with curiosity before saying, "I don't know how much help I can be there, but I'll be happy to listen to you and try to help if I can." Link extended his arm forward towards his house, that way they could talk in private.

While the hours whittled away slowly, Hawk decided to make the best of his current situation and enjoy the rest. It had been several years since he'd sat down and listened to a thunderstorm. He enjoyed thunderstorms since they reflected different parts of his soul. The rain reflecting his pain, sorrow, and remorse. The thunder reflected his anger, and his jealousy. The lightning reflected his wrath, and his joy. As he listened to the storm, he leaned onto his back and slowly drifted to sleep. A few hours had passed while Hawk slept. The storm showed no sign of letting up anytime soon, which didn't bother him at all.

Zelda was finally free after the council meeting ended. She had managed to resolve several issues during the meeting, including what to do with Hawk. While making her way towards the hospital wing, she came across a servant pushing a cart. Looking at the cart, she noticed that Hawks clothes, as well as his coat, had been cleaned and folded. She presumed the servant was taking them back to him. Zelda walked over to the servant and said, "You're taking this cart to the hospital wing, correct?" The servant, a young lad of no more than fifteen years of age, looked at her nervously before replying, "N-no, I-I mean, yes, y-your highness." Zelda smiled at the boy and said, "I'll take it from here, I'm heading there anyway." The young man bowed and said, "Of course, y-your, ma-majesty. I'd b-be careful around th-that fellow w-who owns that. Swore to m-me that not even d-death would s-save me if anything happened to t-that coat, he did." Zelda nodded and said, "Of course, you should rest, you've had an eventful day. I'll make sure that Hawk gets his coat. You'll be fine." The young man bowed again as he quickly made his way to the servant quarters.

Zelda couldn't help but worry a bit. Was it her he was afraid of, or was it Hawk? She remembered his threat to the boy as soon as he touched the coat. Zelda pushed the cart towards the hospital wing as she looked at his coat and began to think. _'What is so special about this coat that makes him so defensive? Could it have been from a lost love? Where did he get this from if not a love?'_ Completely lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize that she was already walking into the hospital wing when a clap of thunder snapped her out of her trance.

Hawk had sat up upon hearing the soft squeal of wheels rolling across the floor. It was barely audible, but Hawk had always been a light sleeper. Looking around, the sun had set and the room was lit by several candles. He was alone with the exception of the sound of something rolling. He looked at the entrance and saw Princess Zelda pushing a cart into the room. He quickly dropped down and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep as she drew closer. A clap of thunder rolled through the room, causing Zelda to stop by his bed. It took her a second to realize where she was. Once she figured it out, she placed Hawks clothes on the table next to his bed. Looking at him, she figured he had fallen asleep. So she took it upon herself to look through his belongings.

The first thing she looked at was his shirt. The shirt was a deep blue with lighter shades speckled in patches across the shirt. On the front was a cliff with a wolf howling into the night sky with two other wolves next to the scene, simply looking outward. Carefully, she folded the shirt and neatly set it on the table. Looking at a box on the table, sitting next to his swords, she took notice of several items inside. _'They must have emptied his pockets before taking his clothing.'_ Placing her hand inside, she began sifting through the items. One thing she took notice of was a pair of necklaces. Both were simple metal chains with a metal token attached to it. The token was in the shape of the wolf head that was on his arm and swords, but without the crossed swords. She ran her fingers across the features before putting them back. Another item inside was a leather bound journal. It was sealed shut by a leather strap. On the cover were two metal tokens attached to the leather. The upper was a metal wolf head token similar to the ones she'd just examined. The other, on the lower part of the cover, was a metal token in the shape of the crest of the royal family in black and gold detail. She ran her fingers across her family crest in thought. After a moment, she decided to read the journal. However, when she tried to undo the leather strap holding it shut, it wouldn't budge. She tried with all her strength, but Zelda was only rewarded with disappointment for her efforts. She looked at the journal for another moment before putting it back in the box.

She then took his coat into her hands, stood up, and held it out in front of her. The coat had a dull sheen to it, but felt incredibly soft under her fingers. The embroidery that ran along the coat was breathtaking in her sapphire blue eyes. She turned the coat around and in the center of the caplet that draped the coats shoulders, was the head of a dragon. She'd only heard stories of these mythical creatures. Zelda ran her fingers across the embroidered dragons head, remembering when her father showed her a picture of a fierce dragon as a little girl. Looking down at Hawk, she couldn't help but feel her curiosity grow for knowing who he was. That, however, would have to wait until morning. She folded the coat and placed it on the table with everything else and looked at him for a moment. "Who are you?" She whispered before leaving the room and headed towards her own. Hawk listened as she walked away before responding quietly, "Good question, all I can say...different."

_**Author's note: I simply wished to say thank you for those of you who have read my story thus far, and have left reviews. Next Chapter will be up same time next week. Review.**_

_**Very Respectfully,**_

_**Guardian Hawk**_


	4. Chapter 4: Theories and Motives

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 4**

After relating Hawk's arrival to Saria, Link sat on a wooden chair, waiting for her response. Saria sat in silence for a few minutes, tapping her index finger on her upper lip as she thought. Finally, she said, "I'm not sure. Maybe Rayuru or one of the other sages might. I played no part in his arrival. You said he was armed?" Link nodded as she continued, "That could mean he was brought here for one of a few reasons. To help Hyrule from an evil that is approaching..." "...or he is an evil sent as either a warning or something." Link finished, but Saria shook her head as she stated, "I don't know about that. A couple of the other sages, along with myself, have been having dreams and visions as of late. In them, we all see an evil that is trying to rain death and destruction on Hyrule. We all agree the evil appears to be Ganondorf. However, we all see someone rise to combat him. Half of us think it's you, but the rest see someone clad in black." Link looked at her with a raised eyebrow before saying, "Ganondorf? He's been locked away in the castle dungeon for years, and he's not getting out anytime soon." Saria looked down and said, "We're all convinced it's only a matter of time before he's free. Whether by force or not, we don't know. All I can say for certain, this Hawk will have a role to play in the coming events as they unfold, if he is the man in black that the other sages see. I will speak with the sages about this and see if any of them had a hand in bringing him here." Link smiled as he replied, "Thank you Saria, I don't know why, but he just makes me feel uneasy." Saria returned the smile as she said, "You should get some sleep, you look tired." Link yawned a bit as Saria giggled and said, "Good night Link, I'll see you in the morning." Link bid her good night as she walked out of the tree house. Link took off his tunic and laid it across a chair as he kicked his boots off. He laid himself out on his bed, which he barely fit on, and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Flames rose around the land, engulfing everything in sight. Behind the flames stood a towering, dark man, holding a blade as black as night, laughing at the destruction and death he had wrought. However, piercing through the darkness were two figures in two different directions in front of him. The distance between the three figures were equal from each other, similar to a triangle. One figure held a broad blade with a blue hilt and a Hylian shield. The other was holding two swords, a long, thin, curved blade in his right hand, and a shorter version in his left hand. The eyes of the figure holding the sword and shield began to glow a bright green. The eyes of the figure wielding the twin blades began to glow blue. The eyes of the dark figure began to glow red. After a few moments of staring each other down, the three figures charged forward towards each other. The three corners of the triangle closed in on its center. As the three collided, a blinding light erupted and engulfed everything in sight.

Zelda awoke with a start, sitting up quickly as a clap of thunder rolled faintly through the window. She was breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat. She was terrified of what she had just seen. Piecing together what little she remembered, Zelda started to ask questions about her vision. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that it was a sight of what was to come. She recognized the Master sword from when Link told her the tale of how they tried to beat Ganondorf to the Triforce. But it had been sealed away behind the door of time after they defeated him in the alternate timeline. She tried to place it to the side until morning, but it caused her thoughts to race before she finally fell back asleep.

Down in the castle dungeons, all had been quiet. The guard at the end of the hall had fallen asleep in a chair. The dungeons were mostly empty, save for one occupant. He had been arrested and imprisoned over nine years ago after the King discovered his use of black magic. His time being incarcerated had yet to affect him physically. His large muscular frame towering over most Hylians. His skin was dark because of his Gerudo heritage, with bright orange hair and blood red eyes.

It was none other than Ganondorf.

He had been waiting patiently for the last nine years. He knew how to get to the Triforce from the time he spent learning everything he could about it. However, he also knew that the only threats to his plan were the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny. Ganondorf knew that he wouldn't be able to stop them unless they were alone. He simply spent his days planning and waiting. Once they make the mistake he's looking for, he won't wait a second before taking advantage of it.

As the night drew to a close, the skies began to dimly grow brighter. The storm was still raining down on the land, which prevented the sunlight from illuminating as bright as it could. The rain had left several puddles scattered throughout the castle grounds, causing the patrolling guards to complain during their rounds. Hawk had managed to get some much needed rest after Zelda's surprise evening visit. Sitting up in his bed, he groaned lightly, holding his side softly. He figured his injuries had settled in fully and were in the process of healing. Glancing over at the table next to his bed, he saw his coat and clothes had been cleaned and were folded next to him. Hawk smiled a bit, remembering listening to Zelda explore her curiosity by searching his possessions. He closed his eyes, still smiling as the thunder rolled outside the still-open window. The doctor came in as Hawk was listening to the thunder to check up on him. Hawk propped himself up to allow easy access to his bandages. Upon removing the last of them, the doctor made several notes regarding the rate of recovery. Several bruises were shrinking in size, but remained sensitive. A few of the smaller bruises were no longer painful, and all of his cuts had clotted and scabbed over.

Once the doctor was done taking notes, he decided to leave the bandages off in order to allow Hawk to move around a little easier. After the doctor left, Hawk decided to at least put his clothes on. Slowly, he stood up next to his bed. Satisfied that he was able to stand on his own power, he grabbed his clothes and quickly began putting them on. He didn't know if anybody would be in to see him, so he made haste, working through the pain. As he finished up and pulled his shirt over his head, Princess Zelda walked into the wing. Hawk was trying to force his right arm through the sleeve of the shirt, but was having trouble due to his bruising. Noticing this, Zelda walked over to him and saw the extent of his injuries up close. There were several large bruises scattered across his chest and his back, with a few smaller ones scattered around. There were also numerous streaks of scabs from all the cuts that he had received. Closer to some of his wounds were scars of his older wounds, all appeared to have been caused by a blade of sorts. After taking in his injuries, she stepped forward and gently pulled the shirt sleeve to where he could reach it. Hawk sat stunned for a moment before he slipped his arm through and pulled his shirt down. He was surprised to see Princess Zelda standing in front of him. Hawk blinked blankly as his dark brown eyes met with her sapphire blue ones.

After a few moments, Hawk shook his head to snap his trance and said, "Thank you." Zelda smiled as she sat down in front of him and said, "Your welcome, how are you feeling?"

"Better, I'm able to move around more than I could yesterday."

"That's good, did you sleep well?"

"I slept decently enough. I woke up a couple of times in the night. By the way, thank you for returning my clothes yesterday evening."

Zelda looked at him in surprise before responding, "Oh...I thought you were asleep. Your welcome."

"Did you find anything to sate your curiosity amongst my belongings?"

Zelda's eyes widened before she stood up and looked away, "I sincerely apologize, I should have asked your permission before looking through..."

"It's alright, calm down Zelda. Please, you have no need to apologize to me." Hawk cut in, standing up behind her.

"Still, it was wrong of me to search your belongings and I shouldn't have..."

She had been cut off by Hawk moving over in front of her and placing a finger on her lips. Hawk smiled and extended his other hand towards the chair, saying, "Zelda, calm down, will you sit down, please?"

Lowering his finger, Zelda sat back down followed shortly by Hawk before asking, "Your coat has such beautiful embroidery, who gave it to you?"

Hawk chuckled a bit as he responded, "I had it made while I was in the military. Cost quite a bit, but it was well worth every cent." Zelda had not expected that answer. She had expected a tale of someone who gave it to him, someone special in his life. Almost as if by reaction, Hawk added, "Assuming I ever find the peace I'm looking for, I plan on giving it to someone. Who? I don't know yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out in due time." Zelda listened to him as she thought about his words. Hawk smiled a bit as he looked at her. Confused, Zelda asked, "Why are you smiling? Did I do something funny?" Hawk shook his head a bit, saying, "No, you just remind me of a friend of mine." As he finished his sentence, his smile slowly faded into a frown. Noticing the change, Zelda asked, "Someone you love?" Hawk looked at her, chuckled and said, "I did, yes, but her heart belonged to another. It wouldn't have lasted long though..." Zelda tilted her head a bit before asking, "Why not?"

Hawk looked directly into her eyes before answering, "Because I'm a..."

He was cut off as chief advisor Barston walked in, exclaiming, "Your highness! You completely missed the brunch with the nobles of castle town this morning. As well as kept the Goron delegates waiting for half an hour to speak with you." Zelda looked at Barston shortly before Hawk started laughing. Barston simply waited for her while Zelda looked at him, confused again, before Hawk said, "Go on, you have duties to attend to, your highness. I'll still be here if you wish to continue interrogating me later." He lightly winked at her with his left eye, so only she could see it. Zelda blinked before standing up and saying, "Of course, I'll come by later to see how you're recovering." Hawk gently took her left hand into his own, lifted it, and kissed the back of her gloved hand ever so lightly. He then patted her hand with his other hand before saying, "Until then, my fair princess." Zelda was struck with awe for a moment before smiling and bowing lightly to him. He lightly bowed his head, returning the smile. Zelda then walked to the entrance and walked with chief advisor Barston as he filled her in on the events of the morning. Hawk shook his head after they were out of sight. "Jerk didn't even acknowledge I was here. Oh well, she's probably better off not knowing what I am, let alone what I'm looking for."

As they entered the courtyard, Zelda continued, "You cut him off in mid-sentence, didn't even acknowledge his presence, and treated him with disrespect! All in two days!" Barston quickly retorted, "He's a commoner, how he even got onto castle grounds is still a mystery to me. He will need to leave soon before people start spreading rumors of a scandal. That would only make it harder to find a good suitor for you to marry." Zelda rolled her eyes as she curtly said, "I don't care too much for the suitors you keep bringing to my court. Somehow, I have a feeling that they are not going to get any better. All that they want is the power I hold as Princess of Hyrule." Chief advisor Barston shot her a glare as he stated, "As per tradition, you must marry in order to assume the throne as queen. It is therefore your responsibility to take on a suitor of noble blood in order to keep the royal bloodline pure and untainted." "My blood will be in whatever children I bear. The royal bloodline will not be affected by whoever I take as my husband, whether he is of noble birth or not. Even nobles started as commoners, so your point is invalid either way." "Unless I knew any better, your majesty, I'd say you were defending him as one who defends their love." "He is a respectable man who was found injured on the castle grounds. I am simply making sure that his well-being is taken care of, so as to reflect upon the virtues we live by. As well as to ensure he has no reason to speak ill of the royal family once he leaves."

Though she argued the point, a part of her knew that she couldn't let him go that quickly. She still had far too many questions and not enough answers. Zelda's curiosity always did get the better of her, but she still learned far more than most people learn in a lifetime. Regardless, she would have to be careful, lest she prove Barston right. Rumors of a scandal would not help her image to the nobility of Hyrule.

_**Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I got extremely busy out of nowhere with no spare time.**_

_**There's a shocker. It wouldn't be a LOZ story without Ganondorf. Where does he fit in….you'll find out soon enough. Thank you for those of you who have read my story thus far, and have left reviews. If there are any thoughts as to what you'd like to know about the characters, or anything you'd like to see happen here, let me know. I'm still looking for fresh ideas to work into the story. Next Chapter will be up same time soon. Review.**_

_**Very Respectfully,**_

_**Guardian Hawk**_


	5. Chapter 5: Explanations to be heard

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 5**

Link was up quite early, a few hours before sunrise, practicing his swordsmanship. Once the sun had risen, he went over to Saria's house. Saria lived next door to him during his time growing up in Kokiri Forest. He found his friend sitting outside of her home, playing her ocarina to which several fairies were dancing to. He smiled as he listened to her play her favorite song. Once she finished, Saria looked at Link and offered him a seat next to her. As he sat down, she said, "I spoke with the other sages yesterday after our conversation. I told them what you told me. Ruto and Darunia had no knowledge of this. Rayuru, Impa, and Nabooru though, were fully aware of his arrival. Nabooru said that she played no part in bringing him here, she was only aware of it after the fact. Both Rayuru and Impa said they were the ones who brought him here. Ruto and Darunia were quite...irritated that the others didn't trust in both your ability as well as in Zelda's. They were still arguing when I left. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still arguing about it."

Link shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against her house. "I'm not worried about it if the other sages had a hand in bringing Hawk here. Besides, it would be a nice change to have another sword helping out as opposed to being the only one hacking his way around." Both Link and Saria chuckled at the thought. After a minute, Saria said, "So, I take it you'll be leaving soon?" Link looked up and answered, "Yeah, I need to head to Lon Lon Ranch and visit Malon and Talon, then back to Hyrule castle to see Zelda and Hawk." Saria smiled a bit as she commented, "Try to come by a little more often. It feels like ages during the time between your visits, ok?" Link smiled and nodded as he stood up and looked at her. Saria lifted her ocarina again, but before playing, she said, "See you later, Link." Link smiled, bid her goodbye, and started walking towards the entrance of the forest. As he walked, Saria started playing her song, which echoed through the woods and brought the fairies dancing again.

Once he left the woods, the rain was waiting to greet him. Link took out his ocarina, which was the ocarina of time, given to him by Princess Zelda several years ago before he left on his journey to Termina. He'd taken good care of it and still shone with a radiance as if it was brand new. He brought it to his lips and played the tune that Malon taught him back when he first went to Lon Lon Ranch. Upon finishing the tune, Epona came running towards him from the north, stopping next to him. He patted her nose lightly, then climbed on her back and rode off to the north towards the ranch.

After riding through the rain for about an hour, he arrived at the ranch. Looking around, the ranch hadn't changed much over the years. Ingo was tending the cuccos by the cucco shack, but Link didn't see Malon. He figured Talon was sleeping somewhere, so he motioned Epona forward towards the stables. Upon climbing down from her back, he heard a squeal of delight. Link turned around and saw Malon running towards him with a bucket of grain in her hand. Link smiled as she ran up and threw her arms around him, hitting him in the back with the bucket. Link groaned from the pain caused by the impact as Epona walked up and started nibbling on the grains. Malon quickly said, "Oops, sorry Link, it's been so long since the last time you visited. I had to give you a hug." Link scoffed and replied, "A long time? Malon, I was gone for all of 3 days, you know I only visit you a few times a week." Malon giggled, setting the bucket down before saying, "I know, but it feels like a month. So, tell me what's happened with you." Link looked at her curiously and said, "Are you sure? It could take a while." Malon sat down on a bale of hay and said, "I've got all the time in the world." Link sighed and glumly said, "Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you." Link then began explaining the tale of Hawk's arrival a couple days prior.

Hawk stood up and rotated his arm as he thought, "I might as well start working myself back into shape. Never know when I'll have uninvited guests again." He began performing several unarmed attack forms. However, every time he threw a punch or a kick into the air, the speed caused his bruising to flare up in pain. He continued for another half an hour before giving up. He could only deal with so much pain before his body would quit working. As he sat down on his bed holding his side, he noticed someone standing in the doorway. Looking in that direction, he saw someone that made his jaw drop a bit. A woman with a muscular build was looking at him. Her hair was white as snow and pulled back into a braid. Her stance reflected an age that was far older than she appeared. Her blood red eyes pierced through him as if he was transparent.

After a few moments, Hawk asked, "Can I help you?" The woman walked forward with footsteps that made no sound as she said, "My name is Impa. I am Princess Zelda's caretaker and the sage of shadow. I am sure you are curious as to why you've been brought here." Stopping a few feet from his bed, he eyed her suspiciously as he said dryly, "That's one way of wording it." Impa simply crossed her arms as she continued, "You were brought here by myself and the Sage of Light. There is an evil approaching this land, bringing with it death and destruction. The Hero of Time was able to stop it once with the Princess of Destiny. This time, however, they will not be able to stop it alone..."

"Wait a second, you brought me here to help Link and Princess Zelda against this evil? I can think of at least a hundred candidates better than me. All of which aren't looking for a place to die, unlike myself." Impa raised an eyebrow at this, asking, "You wish to die? What could drive you to believe life is no longer worth living?" Hawk scoffed as he replied, "Several reasons, none of which I have any desire to discuss. Simply know that if you wish my help, I had better be granted the death I'm looking for." Impa glared at him, stating, "What of your family? Your friends? Do they not matter?" "My family no longer knows who I am. Hell, I barely know who I am anymore. My friends, what few I have, wouldn't pay much notice. I've had my heart and my soul broken beyond repair. All I have is my skill with my blades. I will place the well-being of others before my own safety as such."

Impa shook her head and said, "If that is what drives you, then so be it. However, be forewarned, Link and Princess Zelda will do everything they can to stop this evil and prevent any further death." Hawk waved his hand as he said, "As long as they don't ruin mine, I don't care what they do. You think they'll need my skill, then they shall have it. If they desire my company until we face this evil, then I will accompany them. If they want me to live after this evil is done, they had better have a damn good reason as to why. I have none. They have that long to find one." Impa looked at him with a steel gaze until she nodded and said, "Very well." With a flash of purple light, she was gone. Hawk took his shirt off and folded it onto the table. Lying back on his bed, he decided to sleep the rest of the morning off.

Unbeknownst to him, Zelda had been behind the wall leading into the room. It was taking everything she had to remain silent. She had listened to the entire conversation and couldn't believe what she'd heard. Tears were streaming down her face as she kept a hand on her mouth to prevent any sobs from escaping her lips. She decided to go to her room for a while in order to compose herself before her next meeting. As Hawk lay back on his bed, listening to the rain, a single word escaped his throat. "Damn."

Once she was safely locked inside her room, Zelda dropped onto her bed and began sobbing uncontrollably. Normally, she wouldn't be affected this badly by someone wishing to die. This time was different, however. Hawks words struck cords deep within her soul. _'My family no longer knows who I am. Hell, I barely know who I am anymore.' _'_What could have changed him so much that his own family doesn't know who he is?' 'My friends, what few I have, wouldn't pay much notice.' _These words hit Zelda especially hard since she didn't have many friends herself, although for different reasons. _'I've had my heart and soul broken beyond repair.' _Zelda had seen the suffering in his eyes through their conversations, but never thought it reached that deep.

Slowly, Zelda calmed down and recomposed herself. As she dried her tears, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Impa had come into the room to console her and make sure she was alright. Zelda looked at her and asked, "Why does he wish to die? Could his life be so bad to drive him to the point of not caring anymore?" Impa looked her in the eye and said, "Though his outlook on life is narrow, his skill and determination vastly make up for it. You will need his blades in the coming days, Princess. In the meantime, you could take this time and learn about him. You and Hawk have much in common, which is one reason he was brought here. If you can find the source of his pain and nurture it, you might be able to change his outlook on life." Zelda looked at the sage, "But what of the nobility? If rumors of a scandal arise, then I might be forced to marry one of the suitors Barston keeps bringing. Then I wouldn't be able to spend as much time trying to help him." Impa merely smirked and said, "You let me worry about that. Take as much time as you need, Princess. You might learn a bit about yourself in the process." Zelda smiled up at her and said, "Thank you Impa." Impa bowed lightly, then took a step back, threw a deku nut to the ground, and disappeared behind a flash of light. Zelda looked over at her window into the dark cloud covered skies and began to think on Impa's words. _'The source of his pain. He did mention once of an unrequited love he had. It may not be the source, but it's a good place to start.'_

_**Author's note: Sorry for the delay again. I have a very unpredictable schedule as I'm sure you can tell.**_

_**Thank you for those of you who have read my story thus far, and have left reviews. If there are any thoughts as to what you'd like to know, feel free to ask. Next Chapter will be up some time soon. Please Review.**_

_**Very Respectfully,**_

_**Guardian Hawk**_


	6. Chapter 6: His tale is told

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 6**

Once Link had finished the tale of Hawks arrival, Malon looked at him with curiosity. "He fell out of the sky? How does that even happen? How did he survive the impact of the fall without breaking anything? What does the wolf head on top of crossed swords represent?" Questions were flowing out of her mouth faster than Link could answer them. After a minute of non-stop questions, he shouted, "Malon! Stop!"

Instantly, she obeyed, but not without a whimper escaping her lips. Link dropped his head a bit and said, "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Malon." He looked back up at her and continued, "I don't have the answers to all of your questions. I'm still asking a few of the same questions myself." He walked over and started to pet Epona's mane as she nickered a bit under his touch.

Before Malon could ask another question, Talon burst into the barn. "Link, my boy! Welcome back to the ranch!" He grabbed onto Link and pulled him into a bear hug. Link tried his best to pull away while Malon was giggling at the sight.

Talon was an older man, about forty years in age. His hair was thinning, but still retained it's dark color. He was also heavy set, which reflected his laziness on the ranch most of the time. Talon had been trying to marry Malon off for years, but never to any avail. After finally letting him go, Talon looked at the two and asked, "What have you two been up to in here for the last few hours? OH! On second thought, never mind, I think I know. Heh heh heh." He elbowed Link with a wink.

Malon blushed quite brightly before shouting, "Daddy! You know that me and Link are just friends. We've been friends for years, and I'm sure he would never think of me in that way!" Although in her heart, she loved Link for who he was for a long time. She'd always wished he would feel the same way about her. But Link never showed it, so she figured he was in love with someone else.

Talon raised his hands in defense and said, "Ok, ok, Malon, I'm sorry. I figured that something was going on since you and Link were in here for a while. I saw him ride into the ranch with Epona and then walk her in here. What in the Goddesses name were you two doing in here for so long then?" Malon looked at Link as he explained, "I was telling her what I've been up to and everything that's happened to me in the last few days."

Talon looked at Link with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't back down. After a few moments, Talon said, "Alright, I believe you. If you want to stay the night, we still have the extra bed in the upstairs room." Link smiled and said, "I appreciate your generosity, but I won't be staying the night this time." Malon jumped up and exclaimed, "What! But, you just got here!" Link looked at her as he replied, "I know, but I have to get back to the Princess about a few things in regards to Hawk." Malon's gaze fell downward as her smile faded into a frown. Knowing what was coming, Link placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Hey, next time I come, I'll stay the night for you, ok?" Malon looked at him, holding back tears, but forcing a smile on her face as she said, "Alright, promise?" Link chuckled a bit as he repeated her, "Promise."

The rain had lightened to a drizzle, much to Hawks disappointment. But the thunder and lightning were still going strong, so he was happy for that. It was early in the evening when Hawk had awakened. It had been some time since he had been able to sleep for a full night. But, regardless, Hawk dealt with it as best as he could. He was sitting with his back against the bed frame listening to the thunder roll and watching the lightning strike.

Zelda walked into the room slowly to where her footsteps were barely audible. Hawk, however, heard her and looked to see her walking towards him. He smiled a bit as he said, "Ahh, good evening Zelda, what can I do for you this time?" Zelda sat down in a chair in front of his bed as she looked at him with a light smile. "I wanted to take a little bit of time and get to know you better." Hawk placed his right elbow on the table next to him and said, "Reasonable request, but in return, I would like to ask you a few questions of my own." Zelda nodded and said, "That's a fair trade." Hawk looked into her eyes as he began to tell his story.

"Well, my parents traveled a lot, so I never had the same friends for long. I have a younger brother, but I don't get along with him very well. Once I finished school, I got into the military. I did a lot of things while I was in, some of which I'm not proud of. I made a handful of friends and kept in touch with them as best as I could. During my time in, I started to change. I didn't enjoy the things I used to, I talked with people outside of the military less and less. One of the people I made friends with, a girl, had caught my eye. The more I talked to her, the more I was attracted to her, but she didn't feel the same. By the time I got out of the military, I wasn't the same person. She only knew me by my nickname, and only my family knew my true name. Most of the time I was in, I was constantly insulted and belittled. After my first ship, I stopped talking to people I worked with about my personal life. I've all but lost my will to live. Now, I tried to say this to you earlier, but I was cut off by your chief advisor. I'm a death seeker, Someone looking for a place to die. I do not wish to die by my own hand, but if someone wishes to take my life, I will not try to stop them."

Zelda listened intently, absorbing every word and formulating questions as he spoke. After he finished, he asked, "Well, that's the general summary of my life, any questions?"

Almost immediately, she said, "Who was the girl you fell in love with?" Hawk smiled a bit and said, "That question...I may answer a bit later." Zelda was a bit disappointed, but recovered quickly, "Ok, how did you changing make it to where your family didn't know who you were?" Hawk frowned a little, "I used to be upbeat, energetic, and always found a way to make something funny. The fact that nobody got some of my jokes, paired with constant insults, that changed quickly." Zelda wanted to reassure him that wasn't always the case, but couldn't find the words to express it.

"Now, as for you, my first question is how is it that a lovely young girl like yourself has nobody courting you?" Zelda blushed lightly as she responded, "A lot of the suitors that are brought here are horrible for me to even think about marrying any of them, much less have them court me. Though I thank you for your kind words." Hawk smirked a bit as he asked, "Are they really that bad?" Zelda scoffed a bit and said, "You should see and hear them for yourself." Hawk chuckled at the idea and said, "When is the next engagement party for your search going to be? I'll scope it out and take a look for myself." She giggled a bit and said, "There's one tomorrow night. If you wish to see what I have to deal with, I'll make sure that your name is placed on the guest list." He looked at her, smiled and said, "Me? On the list for a party? A party for a Princess to find a suitor for her no less? I'd probably get dirty looks from the moment I set foot in the ballroom. Sounds good to me, but I'll wear my normal attire. Just in case one of them decides to get...ambitious."

Zelda smiled a bit and nodded as he continued, "Now, my next question is why do you let that chief advisor of yours drag you around the castle like he does? From what I've seen, he acts like he knows better than you, he hasn't so much as looked at me once the entire time I've been here. Not to mention I think he has his own agenda that he's using you to advance." Zelda looked at him with surprise as she said, "He may seem...blunt, but I am sure he has the best interests of Hyrule first and foremost in his mind. I have spoken with him about the way he's treated you the last few days. Whether he changes that or not, I'm not entirely sure."

Hawk shook his head and said, "Quite honestly, I don't care what he thinks about me. I'm more concerned about the way he walks around and acts like he knows everything." Zelda sighed a bit. She wouldn't say it aloud, but she knew he was right. Looking back at him, she asked, "You said the girl you fell in love with only knew your nickname, what was that name?" He smirked a bit and replied, "The name that I carry as my own now, which is the one you know me by." Zelda bit her lower lip a bit before asking, "Then what is your true name?" Hawk merely looked away and replied, "The name of an individual that has been long since buried and laid to rest. It is no longer who I am, therefore has no meaning. Please...leave it at that." This didn't sate her curiosity, but she respected his request. "What was your family like?" He smirked a bit, "My father is pretty laid back, but he's resourceful, clever, and not the kind of person you want to make mad. My mother is upbeat and fairly positive, but she also has a temper. My brother, well, he's not the brightest kid, but he's consistent. Of course, that was how they were five years ago. I haven't seen or spoken to them since then."

Zelda immediately jumped at this. "You should see them when you get the chance. I only knew my father, and I would give anything to have him back, and I never knew my mother. You shouldn't let such a good thing go to waste. Once they're gone, they're gone for good." "As I said, their son died five years ago, I'm simply of shell of him waiting to be buried."

_**Author's note: Much faster update this time around. I hope it's met with approval.**_

_**Thank you for those of you who have read my story thus far. If there are any thoughts as to what you'd like to know, feel free to ask. Please Review.**_

_**Very Respectfully,**_

_**Guardian Hawk**_


	7. Chapter 7: A Trust is Slowly Formed

_The Legend of Zelda: Through the Eye of the Beholder _

**Chapter 7**

Hawk bowed his head lightly as he began to relive memories of his childhood. He quickly banished the thoughts, not wanting to remember his past as he looked back at the princess and said, "Now, another question I have for you. This is more of my curiosity, if you will. But I've seen how you and Link look at each other. Are you two by any chance…?"

Her eyes widened a bit as she quickly said, "No. No, we're just friends. I've known him since we were children. We both agreed that nothing good would come from falling in love with each other. I mean, after everything we've been through...I just don't think it would be appropriate. Link thinks the same, but we don't let that ruin our friendship."

Hawk smiled a bit as he listened to her and said, "After everything you've been through. Somehow, I'm pretty sure I know exactly what you two went through. Though, if it ended the way it did where I'm from, then I have no clue what happened to the one who started it." Zelda eyed him a bit as she asked, "How could you know what happened to me and Link?" He simply chuckled as he said, "You remember when you asked me earlier how I got the seal of the royal family tattooed on my arm and I told you it was from a video game?" She nodded as he continued, "I've got a pretty good suspicion that what happened to you and Link was the story behind that very same game. That being said, I could probably tell you every detail about what Link had to go through, as well as how it ended. That, of course, would probably be overstepping my boundaries and going into details that I'm sure you wish to forget." Zelda sat there in shock for a few minutes as Hawk looked back outside and listened to the thunder and lightning, smiling to himself in the process.

After shaking off the shock, Zelda looked back at him and said, "If you really do know what happened to myself and to Link, then while Link fought his way through the temples, where was I?" She knew only what Link had told her, for she had no memory of the timeline that came to pass with the destruction of Hyrule. However, only herself and Link knew of these events, so she figured that would be the best way to test if he spoke the truth, or if he was telling a lie. Hawk chuckled, looked back into her eyes, and said, "You had to remain hidden from him, so you took on the identity of a Sheikah by the name of Sheik. You dressed in attire that allowed freedom of movement, while hiding your most of your face, and therefore your identity. Which worked fairly well right up until you dropped the disguise in the Temple of Time to reveal your true identity to Link. That was when things went downhill for you for a short time." Zelda was in absolute shock at this point. She knew that every word he spoke matched up with the tale Link had told her when they first met seven years prior.

Hawk could tell that he caught her off guard by the look on her face as he began to laugh to himself. "Judging by the look on your face, I'm going to go on a limb and say that you were not expecting me to know that, were you?" She quickly shook off the shock and looked back at him and said, "Truthfully, no. While it is a nice change that someone else apart from myself and Link knows about that, I cannot help but worry that could cause problems in the near future." Hawk smirked and said, "I have been keeping secrets for years, what's one more to keep? I give you my word that I will say nothing about the ordeal unless you wish me to, would that ease your worry?"

Zelda couldn't help but smile a bit as he said this. _'If I'm to get him to trust me, then it would be best to trust him.' _She thought for a moment, then answered, "I would be relieved and happy if you would. I don't think the people would take kindly if they found out what had happened in the other timeline." Around the corner, outside of the hospital wing, Chief Advisor Barston was standing against the wall, listening to every word that was being exchanged between the two. As they conversed, he thought to himself, _'So, that is why you had Ganondorf locked away. You were afraid he would take your power away again. Who's to say that he wouldn't be a better ruler than you? You have made a mockery of me ever since your father died, I think it's about time I took what I have more than earned through my long years of service, Princess. By the time you or him find out about it, it will be too late.' _Silently, he slipped away from the hall, taking with him his newfound leverage, and a plan to take what he had deserved.

A few hours of talking and eating later, Link mounted Epona and bid Talon and Malon farewell. Riding off out of the ranch and towards the castle, he noticed the rain had become a mist, but the thunder and lightning wasn't letting up. _'That's odd, usually when the rain lets up, so does the thunder and lightning.'_ He shook the thought from his head as he rode towards Hyrule castle, hoping to make it before sundown. He'd spent his fair share of nights camping out, he would prefer to spend the night somewhere a little more comfortable. What better place to spend a night than the castle? It would also allow him to keep close to Zelda and learn what she had managed to get out of him.

The ride took a couple of hours, but he managed to arrive in Castle town in a better part of the afternoon. He stepped off Epona and left her at the stables near the edge of town. Grabbing his pack, he made his way through the marketplace and towards the castle. After about ten minutes of weaving his way through the castle and avoiding the guards, he managed to make his way into the hospital wing, where he found Zelda and Hawk talking. Hawk was holding one of his swords, the longer one he called a Katana, and was explaining to Zelda how the forging process went in order to create such a blade. Link casually walked into the wing, when Hawk was the first to notice him, "Welcome back, Link. I take it you had fun while you were out with your errands?" Link smirked and said, "You could say that, yeah. Hey Zelda, can I talk to you over here for a minute?" Zelda looked at Hawk, and gave him a reassuring smile as he placed the Katana back into its sheathe and placed it on the stand on top of his coat.

Once they were out of earshot from Hawk, Zelda said, "Is something wrong Link?" He looked at her and said, "While I was out, I went and spoke with Saria. She spoke to the other sages and found out that Impa and Rayuru were the ones who brought Hawk here." Zelda nodded her head lightly and said, "I know, Impa told Hawk how he got here, and I listened to the conversation from the entrance of the wing." Link blinked blankly for a moment, dumbstruck before he started again, "Ok, She also told me that all the sages believe it's a matter of time before Ganondorf is set free. They've had dreams and visions of the other timeline happening all over again, with the destruction of Hyrule. Some of them think that we'll need help, hence why he's here." Zelda quickly interjected, "I'm not sure how, but Hawk knows about what happened in the other timeline. He was able to explain where I was after I asked him, and explained in detail everything you told me, almost word for word. I thought you said we were the only ones who knew about it." Link looked over at Hawk, who was undoing a bandage on his left arm, then back at Zelda and said, "I didn't say anything to him, hell I don't have the slightest clue as to who he is, apart from what he's told me so far. By the way, did you have any luck find out more about him?" Zelda smiled a bit and said, "Yes, let's go somewhere a bit more private, that way someone doesn't overhear us." She then began to walk down the corridor.

Looking over and noticing they were leaving, Hawk quickly said, "Before you go, Zelda, I have a question." Zelda stopped at the entrance with Link, both looking at him as she replied, "Yes?" He then continued, "The one that was responsible for causing the trouble that you two had to deal with, where is he?" Zelda looked over at Link for a moment before answering his question. "He's been locked in the dungeon for the practice of dark magic." Hawk tilted his head and said, "So you let him live? Most interesting. Thank you that was the only question I had left for now." Zelda smiled, bowed lightly to him and left with Link following closely behind her as they made their way through the castle and into her private bedchamber. Once inside, she shut and locked the door and sat down on her bed, "That should keep any stray ears from overhearing us."Once they were outside of the hospital wing, Hawk looked outside at the storm clouds and thought to himself. _'I can't help but wonder if that was a wise decision or not. There are some that are beyond redemption, and he is one of them.' _

As he sat in thought in the hospital wing, trouble was slowly brewing in the castle. Chief Advisor Barston made his way down to the castle dungeon, stopping at the cell of Ganondorf, which was being watched closely by two guards. Barston looked at the guards and said, "Leave us, I have questions for the prisoner. I will inform you when I am finished." The guards saluted and left the lower dungeon, leaving the two of them alone as Barston looked into the cell and said, "I know the true reason why you were locked away. Princess Zelda is afraid that you would take her power away from her as Ruler of Hyrule. I've served the Royal family for almost four decades now, and have almost nothing to show for it. So, I have a proposition for you. I help you escape, and when you return to take over the castle, you make me a Lord and give me the lands surrounding castle town to rule over. I would, of course, answer to you and Princess Zelda and that boy in the hospital wing can rot down here in your place. What do you say, Ganondorf?" The large man simply looked up at him, flashed a yellow grin and chuckled before responding to him.

_**Author's note: My apologies for the delay in updating once again. Moved from japan back into the US, so I was unsettled for quite some time. But, here's the next chapter.**_

_**Thank you for those of you who have read my story thus far. Please Review.**_

_**Very Respectfully,**_

_**Guardian Hawk**_


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